Family is Forever
by TheBirds.Raven-Robin
Summary: You know how it goes; first come love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage. Six carriages later, it proves to be a wild roller coaster for the Graysons.
1. Chapter 1

_This is a really cute story that I was prompted by my friend. I hope you like it!  
_

* * *

Richard Grayson woke to the sound of shrieking. He lifted his head for a second, then let it drop back down again with a groan. It was hard to find any moments of peace in his house. Another scream prompted him to sit up and swing his legs over the edge of the couch he had been sleeping on.

He looked around the office, blinking sleepily as he tried to gather his bearing. The papers he had been working on before he dozed off were laying discarded next to him. Richard stood up and stretched before walking over to the door and yanking it open.

Just as he stepped out onto the upper landing, he had to duck and dodge a giant pillow before it smacked him in the face.

"Calm down!" He shouted at two little girls as they ran past, more pillows in their hands.

Richard leaned over the railing and looked down. His wife was standing in the center of the hallway, hand over her mouth.

"Rachel?"

She only made a strangled sound in reply. Richard hurried down the stairs towards her. When he finally stood in front of her, he put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head and made another noise in the back of her throat. Richard followed her gaze into the kitchen, which was a disaster.

Flour, broken eggs, and other cooking ingredients were strewn across the counters and floor among the pans, bowls, and spoons. It was hard to believe this same room had been pristine only a few hours ago.

"Uh," Richard looked back at his wife, who was two seconds away from a heart attack. "Why don't you go on up to the bedroom and take a nap. I'll clean this mess up and deal with all the kids."

Rachel didn't move, her eyes locked on the kitchen. On any other normal day she wouldn't have cared, probably would have just rolled her eyes and cleaned it. However, in her current state anything, no matter what it meant to her, would send her to pieces if it was ruined.

Richard curled his fingers under her chin and forced her to look at him. "Rachel." He spoke in a commanding voice. "Go and rest. Now."

She opened her mouth to argue but stopped when he put his hand on her huge stomach. "Fine." She said quietly. "Just call me for dinner, alright."

Richard smiled and nodded as she made her way upstairs.

"Some assistance sir?" a British voice prompted next to him.

Richard turned and smiled gratefully at Alfred. "That would be wonderful."

Alfred gave one of his trademark secretive smiles. "Anytime sure. How about I start on the kitchen and you clean up the dirty children?"

Richard nodded and walked into the kitchen, grabbing the two flour covered kids before hauling them upstairs and dumping them in a bath. When they were dried and dressed in clean clothes, Richard let them go to wreck havoc upon the rest of the house. He then walked back downstairs to help Alfred finish up the kitchen.

When they were done, Richard looked around and smiled. You'd have no idea that only an hour ago, the room looked like a flour-winter wonderland. He looked at the time. 7:00 pm.

"Dinner, Master Dick?" Alfred inquired.

Richard thought for a minute, then picked up the kitchen phone. "How do you feel about takeout?"

* * *

The dinner table was filled with nine people as they transferred food from the plastic containers to their plates to their mouths. They had insisted that Alfred sit with them. Though he had refused at first, when the kids had pouted for him to stay, he gave in.

"Dad!"

"Daddy!"

Daaaaaad!"

Richard sighed and grinned as he listened to his children all relay their days to him and he patiently listened.

10 and year-old Mary Grayson II looked up at her father with wide blue eyes as she stuffed sushi into her mouth. Her inky black hair was elegantly dutch-braided around her head.

Next to her sat James. Black hair in need of a trim, he sat back, playing with his food. The eight and a half year-old looked around with blue-purple rimed eyes before looking back down at his plate. He would gaze outside every few minutes with longing.

The twins-Emma and Emily- sat in the same chair in matching pink princess outfits. They giggled and continued to switch the foods in their plates about ten times until they ended up with the same food before they started to eat. They looked exactly alike- wavy purple-black hair, pale-ish skin- except for their eyes. Emma had bright violet eyes while Emily's were sapphire blue. The six year-olds were always cute and perky.

On the other side of the table, five year-old Alfred was sucking up noodles as hard as he could; grinning each time they smacked his rosy cheeks. He was a cute young child, still trying to outgrow his cherub faze. Black hair curly, he had peculiar blue-grey eyes and a curiosity that was never satisfied. He was sitting next to the older Alfred, who would frown and wipe the child's face every few minutes.

The last child was little Arella. At two years she was adorable. Banged, dark purple hair was a hassle to hide from the press with lavender eyes. Her chubby cheeks added to the over all cuteness. Especially when she would cock her head to the side and give you a heart-stopping smile. She sat in the high chair as her mother attempted to feed her some soft boiled carrots.

"One more bite. Come on." Rachel tried to get her open her mouth.

"Uh uh." Arella shook her head and stubbornly refused to open her mouth.

Rachel sighed and put down the spoon to take another sip of tea. She was feeling very stressed lately, Richard noticed. Finishing his plate, he stood and took his plate to the kitchen; stopping to pick up Arella on the way. When his dropped his plate into the sink, he looked at the little girl in his arms. "You need to eat and do everything your mother tells you. Understand? Mommy is having a ruff time right now. You little brother or sister is giving her grief. Will you do what she asks?"

Arella pouted slightly but nodded. Richard gave her a smile and kissed the top of her head. He carried her back to her high chair, where she made a big show of finishing her bowl.

"Dad?" Richard faced James who was looking at him with big eyes. "I finished my food. Can I go outside now?"

Richard noticed that the plate was still half full but nodded.

"Thanks dad!" James grinned and ran from the table.

The kids finished their food, one by one until just Richard, Alfred, Rachel, and a bunch of plates remained. Alfred stood, carefully gathered the plates in his arms, and walked into the kitchen to clean them. Rachel looked at Richard with tired eyes. "Ready?"

Time to get the kids ready for bed.

Richard grimaced and nodded. "Ready."

* * *

"No!" Alfred wailed as Richard tried to dress him in his pajamas and tried to run away. Richard just picked him up and placed him back in front of him. "I don't want to sleep!"

Richard gritted his teeth and yanked the shirt over Alfred's head, finally managing to get his head out of the hole. Just as Alfred was set, there was a loud pop, the sound of shattering glass, and screaming.

Running out into the hallway, he stopped outside the kid's bathroom. The glass from the mirror was laying all over the floor in sharp, jagged pieces. In the center of the room was Mary and James, protected only by the shield that Mary had apparently thrown up around them at the last second.

"What the hell happened here?"

He carefully stepped over the glass and carried his son and daughter into the hallway after she put shield down.

"Mary did it!" James burst, pointing a finger at his older sibling.

"I didn't mean to!" Tears formed in her eyes. "I was just arguing with James a-and the mirror b-broke." The tears were now coming fast down her face.

Richard sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. "It's fine. Just be more careful, alright?"

Mary nodded while James scowled, upset she hadn't been punished.

"We just need to clean this up before your mothers sees."

"She already did." Rachel growled behind them. She looked beyond furious. Her face was beet red and there was a tick in her left eye. "You destroyed the bathroom! I told you to have more control! You're ground for a week."

Mary's chin trembled while James grinned wickedly, which Rachel noticed.

"Don't look so smug. You're grounded too."

James' mouth dropped opened but he didn't bother trying to change her mind.

Rachel's eyes narrowed at Richard, daring him to contradict her. After a moment, she spun around, picked up Arella, and walked into the nursery to get finish getting her ready.

Richard stood there for a moment before ushering the kids to their rooms, stopping to tuck in Ella, Emma, and Alfred into their beds since Mary and James didn't like him to anymore.

When everyone was settled into their own rooms, Richard said goodnight to the relaxing Alfred and walked up to his own bedroom.

Rachel was sitting in bed, her bedside lamp on and a book in her hands.

"You were kinda harsh, don't you think?" Richard asked as he opened his closet and pulled on his pajamas. Rachel sighed and put down her book after marking her page.

"Think about it Richard. Even though she's only one-fourth demon, she still has strong powers but little control. When I was her age I was locked up. She's out and about with those powers and she could hurt someone. If she lost control after just an argument, imagine how easily she could hurt someone. And I know it would hurt her far more than getting grounded." Rachel smiled faintly. "I love them. All of them. I don't mean to be mean, I just want them to be careful. And also the baby letting me get no sleep may also be a small part of it."

Richard chuckled and got into bed next to her. He kissed Rachel, long and sweet until she pulled away, smirking. "Goodnight."

"Night."

Rachel turned off her light then settled under the covers with her body pillow. She had thankfully turned her back towards Richard so he could still cuddle her. He rested his chin above her head and curled his arms around her, one hand gently stroking her belly were the baby was.

"Love you." He said.

He could almost see her smiling sleepily. "Love you too."

* * *

_Yay. Done. Okay, well review so I can know if I should continue or not. And yes, they have six kids and another on the way. I was prompted. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Yay! So I got lots of positive reviews. Thank you! By the way, my friend who prompted this actually has nine siblings so this is pretty normal for her. _

_I've made a tumblr! So sent me a message at thebirdsravenrobin .tumblr .com!_

_Review Time!_

_EmailGoose: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!_

_CookieSpells4: Thanks. I try hard_

_minichurros123: Yeah. I know right!_

_fluddershy: You'll find out later!_

_Keepmovingforward2- You are like my favorite person right now. You always read my stuff. :)_

* * *

"Wake up!"

Richard rolled over and pulled the comforter over his head. "Go back to bed." He groaned.

Alfred, Emily, and Emma paid no attention and continued to jump up and down on the bed. Richard cracked one eye open to look at Rachel. She was still somehow asleep, which was very good. If she woke up now, the rest of the day would be hell for everyone.

"Fine. I'm up." Richard sat up, rubbing his face. The kids smiled and ran away, probably to go and pester Alfred into sneaking them sweets instead of fruits.

Richard slid out of bed; taking care not to make the bed shake. He walked put into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Sticking his head into the nursey, Richard was relieved to see that Arella was still fast asleep. He made his way down the stairs to the kitchen where Emily and Emma were ripping apart waffles and eating them with their bare hands.

"Morning dad." Mary said as she sat at the table.

James just scowled down at his food, still upset at being grounded. For him, grounded meant no video games, no computer, no friends over and a limited T.V. time.

For Mary it was no friends over, no extra reading, no computer, and also limited T.V. time.

Richard walked over to them and kissed the top of their heads. Stepping back, he noticed as they sat side by side that James, despite being one and a half years younger, was becoming taller than his sister. Mary was shorter and slighter than all thr other kids. This, Richard realized, was caused by her being born premature.

* * *

_"Richard." A soft voice whispered. _

_"Hmm?" The room was dark and Richard himself was half-asleep. It had been a long, hard day at work and he needed the sleep._

_"S-Something's wrong." Rachel's voice was so worried and pain-laced that Richard opened his eyes and looked at her. _

_She was standing in the batroom, both hands over her swollen stomach. In the pale light, she looked paler than normal and seemed to be shaking. _

_Richard was up and at her side in seconds. _

_"It's too early." She seemed to be speaking to herself. _

_"Rachel." Richard grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him. "What's going on?"_

_She turned her large eyes towards him and he saw the panic in them. "I thought it was just indigestion." She whimpered. "It's only been six months Richard. This isn't possible."_

_Richard suddenly realized what was happening. "Oh god." He breathed. He shook his head firmly. He could not whimp out right now. His wife and soon-to-be born child needed him. Richard took a deep breath and put his arms around her. "We need to get you to STAR Labs. Now."_

_Rachel nodded but winced as pain rippled along her abdomen. Richard led her out of the house and to the cars, not bothering to change either of them. _

_As he drove, Richard mentally hooked himself up to the Watch Tower. "J'onn?"_

_"Hello Dick. What can I do for you today?"_

_Richard forced down the face he made at his nickname. _

_"Is Batman there?"_

_"When is he not?" Richard could almost hear the martian chuckling. _

_"Just tell him to get down to Star Labs as soon as possible."_

_"I will make sure. Goodnight Dick."_

_"Night J'onn."_

_The car screeched to a halt and Dick quickly walked around the car to help Rachel out, who was inturn breathing the way the teacher had instructed. She clutched one of his hands, her nails marking the skin. _

_"Call Doctor Faulkner! Tell her something's wrong with Rachel."_

_Not two minutes later Rachel was whisked away, leaving Richard to pace outside the room she had been taken into. Bruce arrived shortly and nodded silently to his eldest son. _

_About a hour later, Kitty walked out of the room. She smiled tiredly at Richard and Bruce. "Good evening." She said. _

_"Are they alright?"_

_Kitty nodded. "You have a beautiful baby girl Mr. Grayson. You're wife is resting right now. We're going to need keep your daughter here for a few weeks since she was born so early."_

_Richard smiled at let out a relieved laugh. _

_They took Mary home exactly three weeks and fours days later._

* * *

"Hey dad?" James got up and dumped his empty plate in the sink. "Can you take me to the game today? I kinda forgot to ask Max so.. yeah."

Richard sent his son an are-you-kidding-me look. "You. Forgetting about soccer. This is new."

James stomped his foot. "Daaaaad!" he whined. "Can you take me our not!"

Richard gave an amused smile and nodded. "Yeah, I can take you. What time?"

"I have to be there by noon."

Richard turned back to the coffee he was making. "Fine."

James smiled and made his way up to his room.

"Daddy." Emily walked up behind him.

"Yes sweetie?" He picked her up and sat her down on the counter infront of him.

"Why does everyone else have less brothers and sisters?" She asked, swinger her small legs.

Richard looked at her for a moment. "Well, they just choose not to have anymore kids."

"How?" she asked.

"They just don't do...a certain action."

Emily looked up at him, blue eyes wide and innocent. "You mean banging?"

Richard choked on air. Mary stared at her sister.

"Where did you hear that?" Richad asked when he had finally recovered.

"Damian told me."

If this had been a cartoon, there would have been a vein pulsing in Richard's forehead.

"Of course." He muttered. He turned back to Emily. "Just, never say that again." He placed her back on the ground and she ran off to find her sister.

H glanced at Mary who still looked shocked. "You too."

She smiled and stood. "Don't worry dad. I have some level of self control."

* * *

Richard walked out onto the balcony where Rachel was. She sat in the meditative pose, breathing steadily in and out.

"Hey." He said, plopping down in one of the chairs.

She didn't answer but he saw her shake her head slightly.

"You know, breakfast is a wonderful thing to have. I mean, really!"

She opened her eyes and glared at him. "Go away."

"Nah." He smiled at her.

She sighed and turned away, meditating again.

"Hey, James asked my to take him to his game today. Want to come?"

Her head snapped towards him. "Get. Out." She growled.

Richard put his hands up and walked back into the house. "I'll take that as a no." He called.

* * *

_Well, I'm going to end it here because if I don't it will go on and on. _

_Do you guys think that the flashback was wierd? And I feel like James came out as a brat. Oh well. Please review if you liked it!_


	3. Chapter 3

_I feel so happy when I look at the reviews you guys leave for me. Thank you!_

_CookieSpells4: Yep. Flashback was my friend's idea and I've seen it in other stories_

_Keepmovingforward2: You had me worried there for a second!_

_ahsokalo: Don't worry it's not ending anytime soon._

* * *

"Good job," Richard said, as he walked towards the car with one arm slung over James's shoulders.

James looked up and smiled, using one hand to push his sweaty bangs out of his eyes. "Did you see that last goal I made? Awesome right?"

"Right, just next time be a little more careful. The ball nearly went through the netting."

James shrugged and bounced the ball he was carrying between his hands. Richard grinned and ruffled his hair.

They each climbed into their respective parts of the car; Richard in the front and James in the back right. Just as Richard pulled out into the street the car phone began ringing. He click accept and his ears were immediately assaulted with the sound of yelling.

"Dad?" A voice shouted to be heard over the background noise.

"Mary?"

"Dad! Are you coming home?"

Richard ignored her question. "What's going on over there! Where's your mother?" There was a loud crash that made Richard cringe and James snicker at the prospect of someone getting in trouble.

"Um.." Mary paused. "I think she's asleep. And Alfred left to go shopping a while ago."

Richard sighed. Instead of eating for two like a normal person, Rachel seem to sleep for twelve. She only awake for about seven hours a day and was crabby for most of it. "We're on out way home. Try to calm them all down, please."

"I'll try." She hung up and Richard pressed down on the gas.

* * *

It was much worse than he would have thought.

The twins were fighting apparently over a doll; shoving and pulling each others hair. Alfred had dragged in some sand from his sand box outside, mixed it with water, and was now smearing the mud all over the white walls. Arella was in the middle of the floor, wailing her eyes out and Mary was running around, doing a poor job of controlling her sisters and brother.

"Whoa." James looked around with one eyebrow raised.

"Dad! Your home!" Mary looked relieved as she attempted to separate the twins, who would just go at each other again like magnets.

Richard strode into the rooms, picking of Arella with one hand and snatching the bucket from Alfred with the other. The young boy imminently retaliated, his large eyes filling with tears. "Give it back!" He whined.

Richard just put the bucket on the counter of the kitchen, placed Arella in a seat, and then picked up Alfred. He carried him upstairs, drew a bath, and left his son to splash around until he came back. Before he went back downstairs, he stopped in the twins' room and grabbed a toy off their shelf. Arriving in the living room, he offered them the new doll and let them decide who should get what. Once they were settled down, he went back to Arella, who had quieted down to sniffles and hiccups, and placed her in front of the T.V with her favorite show on.

After that was taken care of, he continued to take care of Alfred, cleaning him then dressing him up in new clothes.

Once he set him free, Richard walked into his bedroom, shed the jacket he'd been wearing since he walked in, and collapsed in the chair in the corner of the room, not wanted to disturb the sleeping figure under the covers. Covering his eyes, he sank deeper into the velvet.

He must have fallen asleep, because when he opened his eyes again it was darker in the room and Rachel was standing right in front of him.

"Hey Aurora." She said, smirking.

Richard sat up, blinking the sleep from his eyes. "What?" he asked, his voice still groggy.

Rachel rolled her eyes and straightened up, wincing and putting her hand on the small of her back. Walking away, she muttered "Last one. Better be the last one."

Richard rubbed his face and stood. "You know tonight's at Bruce's right?" He called out.

Rachel poked her head out of the bathroom. "Do you think I could ever forget?"

Chuckling, Richard yanked open the closet to find a more suitable to wear. Pulling off his clothes, he dressed in an expensive suit. There was a knock on the door as he adjusted his cuff links. The door cracked open and two heads grinned at him. Emma and Emily skipped up to their father, each holding a long ribbon in their hands; Emma plum purple and Emily robin egg blue.

"Can you tie us?" Emily asked.

Instead of answering, Richard held put his hands to take the ribbons. After they were wrapped around the girl's white dresses, they smiled and ran away, hand in hand.

Richard went into the hallway to find that Mary and James had helped their younger siblings. He smiled as he watched James gently show Alfred how to put on his tie. Though he never liked to show it to his parents, James really loved his younger siblings. Mary was never really shown affection after he turned seven.

A few minutes later he stood downstairs, clapping his hands and calling for everyone to come down. Alfred and the twins raced downstairs and out the door to the car while James jumped the last few steps and Mary walked out like a normal human being. Rachel came down last with Arella on her hip. She smiled at Richard and handed the little girl to him.

In the car, Richard listened to everyone bicker and Rachel tell them all to quiet every few minutes. They drove for the new few minutes before stopping outside of the gates of the only house larger than theirs.

Clicking on the buzzer, he saw Alfred's face on the screen a few seconds later.

"Master Dick." He said cheerfully.

"Hey Alfred. Ready for dinner?"

"I don't think I ever will be." The British man made Richard smile.

"Me neither."

* * *

_I have a little thing for all you readers. _

_I'm going to give you three options to tell me who should be Bruce's spouse. _

_1. Diana Prince (Wonder Woman)_

_2. Selena Kyle (Catwoman)_

_3. Clark Kent (Superman) _

I put the last one because the person who gave me this whole story is a complete SuperBat shipper. Brianna, this is for you.


	4. Chapter 4

_OK__, the votes are in! Selina came in first, with Diana in a close second. Ha, better luck next time Clark. :)_

_Sorry I haven't been updating lately. School's almost over and during the summer I promise I'll update more often!_

* * *

It would have been a lie to say that dinner had been fun. First there had been the awkward silence as they ate, only the occasional argument at the smaller kids table would spark some noise. When all the food was eaten and the table cleared by the working Alfred, everyone moved to the sitting room.

The two love seats in the room were each filled with Bruce and his nemesis-turned-lover wife Selena in one, in the other sat Richard and Rachel. James and Mary sat on one of the couches while all their younger siblings played with Bruce and Selena's young daughter Helena.

Though only six years old, Helena was a force to be reckoned with. Showing clear signs of becoming as beautiful and cunning as her mother, she could pack a pretty forceful punch like her father, as they had learned when she'd nearly broken a classmates jaw for teasing her.

The conversation went as it usually did. Talking about work, kids, and some light talk before Damian would complain loudly and stomp upstairs to his room. Tim was settled down with the children. It was getting quite late when Richard, seeing Alfred asleep on the floor and Arella passed out on her second youngest uncle's lap, decided it was time to head home.

Bruce walked them to the door. Richard stayed back.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow," He said.

Nodding, Bruce cracked him a rare half smile. A pat on the back and Richard was walking back to the car. Everyone was already situated in their seats. The ride back was quiet, everyone nodding off. Finally, they made it back to the house.

Alfred was staying the night in his rooms in Wayne Manor, so when they stepped into the house, they were met with darkness. They all groggily made their way up the grand staircase, Richard carrying both Alfred and Arella with him. Within a few minutes, everyone was in bed, falling asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

Burrowed under the covers, Richard wrapped his arms around Rachel. It was obvious from her slow, smooth breathing that she was already in a deep sleep. When he placed a hand on her swollen stomach, he felt a slight flutter and smiled. No matter how many times he felt his different children kicking, it always amazed him. Rachel was always happy about it too, but after a few weeks it just began to annoy her. Especially with the twins.

* * *

_Rachel lay across the couch while Richard bounced a two year-old James on his knee in the chair across from her. Mary sat, transfixed in front of the T.V. where Dora was playing. Rachel suddenly grabbed a pillow, pushed it over her face, and let out a frustrated, slightly muffled yell. Richard raised an eyebrow at her when she let the pillow fall away. _

_"I am done with the kicking," she growled. "It was bearable with one. Now it's like they take shifts."_

_Richard tried to hide his amused smile. From the way that Rachel scowled and gave him her death glare, he wasn't doing a very good job. She sat up. _

_"All you have to know is that this is the last time I get pregnant." She said._

* * *

The next morning, Richard woke up early. They had both shifted in their sleep, now a tangle of sheets and arms and legs. Slowly easing away, Richard got up out of bed. Pulling on a robe, he made his way downstairs. The scent of food led him out through the back door, where Alfred was placing breakfast on the outdoors table.

"Good morning Master Dick." Alfred said.

Richard picked up an apple and bit into it. "Mornin' Alfred." He noticed that there were four extra plates set out. "Who's coming over?"

"Mr. Harper and his family called this morning to say they were coming to surprise you at breakfast."

Richard rolled his eyes. "Roy probably just wants to come for the food." He went back inside and upstairs to change. Once properly dressed, he went and woke Mary, James, and the twins up. He didn't dare try to wake Rachel up, favoring staying in one piece.

Half an hour later, there was the doorbell rang. Richard went to go answer it. Roy was leaning against the door frame, red hair perfectly in place and sunglasses covering face. "Hey Richie," he grinned.

Richard smiled back and stepped back to let him in. Kori came up the steps behind him. She hugged him tightly, nearly breaking a rib or two. "It is glorious to see you again friend!" she said sweetly.

Clinging to her legs was their five year old son, Kennan. He peeked up and smiled at Richard, his hair the same flame red as his mother. Alani was holding Kori's hand, her hair a softer red, like her father's. The seven year old grinned at Richard, showing a missing tooth. "Hi Uncle Richie!"

Richard looked at Roy who was smirking. "Just like I taught her," he said.

The sound of squealing suddenly burst through the air. The twins saw Alani and dragged her away, off to play before breakfast. Richard led Roy, Kori, and Kennan outside just as Mary and James made their way down the stairs. Once they were situated, Richard went back upstairs to wake everyone else up.

He took a deep breath and shook Rachel's shoulder. She let out a slight groan and rolled over. He shook her again, harder. This time her eyes opened. When she focused and caught sight of Richard, her eyes hardened. "What?" she snapped.

"Roy and Kori are waiting downstairs." Richard said, stepping back out of arms length.

Rachel closed her eyes for a second before sighing and pushing herself into a sitting position. Richard left her to get dressed to wake Arella and Alfred up. He helped them pull on their clothes, and then headed back outside with them.

Rachel was already downstairs, wearing a loose summer dress, and talking with Kori and Roy. Emily, Emma, and Alani were talking at the end of the table, giggling crazily. Kennan was sitting in his mother's lap, nibbling on a slice of fruit she had given him. Mary and James sat in the middle seats, still looking half asleep.

Richard set Alfred down and Arella into her high chair. Alfred soon brought out the food, stacks of pancakes and waffles, piles of varied sorts of muffins, and platters of fruit. The air was then filled with the sounds of happy talking, forks scraping against plates and bursts of laughter.

The Harper's stayed for a while after breakfast, letting the kids play together a little while longer. Once they had left, Mary and James started attending to their school work. It was nearly summer for them, but not close enough to excuse homework.

He plopped all the younger kids on the floor in front of a mutual T.V. show. Rachel was lounging on the couch behind them, a cup of tea on a coaster balanced on her belly. When the cushions shifted as Richard sat down, she snatched the cup to keep the scalding water from spilling and glared at him. He raised his hands in surrender and settled back in the seat.

Rachel sipped her drink and looked over at him. Richard met her gaze and smile softly. She returned it. She lowered her head to rest on his shoulder. "I'm tired," she muttered.

Richard chuckled, sending vibrations through his body. "When aren't you?"

Rachel punched his stomach lightly before sighing. Within a few minutes, she fell asleep again. Richard carefully removed the mug from her hand and placed it on the table. Then he wrapped his arm around his wife and sat back, trying to understand the abnormality of the show flashing across the screen.


End file.
